omega baryonA subatomic particle in the baryon family, consisting of three strange quarks. It has a mass 3,272 times that of the electron, a negative electric charge, and an average lifetime of 8 × 10-11 seconds. The 1964 experimental observation of this particle was a great triumph in the history of particle physics, because its existence, mass, and method of decay had been predicted based on the model of baryons, but it had not yet been isolated. See Table at subatomic particle.